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The Moderating Effects of Past Experience on Behavioral Intentions
Blair Kidwell, University of Kentucky, USA
Robert D. Jewell, Kent State University, USA
Despite considerable research on the impact of past behavior on decision making over past two decades, little remains known about
how experience moderates decision theoretic factors within models of behavioral intent. This research explores the implications of
past behavior within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and how it influences key decision making variables. We develop and test
a theoretical model of how high vs. low levels of past behavior can induce deliberative versus heuristic processing of information.
Consumer implications of the impact of past behavior on behavioral intentions are discussed highlighting the importance of addressing
one’s experience when making a decision.
[to cite]:
Blair Kidwell and Robert D. Jewell (2007) ,"The Moderating Effects of Past Experience on Behavioral Intentions", in NA Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, eds. Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz, Duluth, MN : Association for
Consumer Research, Pages: 555-556.
[url]:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/12878/volumes/v34/NA-34
[copyright notice]:
This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in
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The Moderating Effects of Past Experience on Behavioral Intentions
Blair Kidwell, University of Kentucky, USA
Robert D. Jewell, Kent State University, USA
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Despite the growing body of research on the positive association (i.e., main effect) of past behavior on intention, key questions
remain as to whether specific components (i.e., predictors) of
intentions are enhanced or diminished when past behavior is
included as a moderator in behavioral intention models (cf. Orbell,
Hodgkins & Sheeran, 1997). Further, little is known about how past
behavior might induce changes in people’s deliberative and heuristic processing of information within these models (cf. Wood, Tam
& Witt, 2005). For example, it is possible that people with very little
experience may be motivated to engage cognitive resources such as
considering their evaluations of salient beliefs when making a
decision. In contrast, those with extensive experience may be less
motivated to process cognitive information, relying instead on
heuristic information such as their past success performing the
behavior (i.e., confidence in their ability) and their perceptions of
how easy or difficult behavioral performance will be (i.e., external
facilitators of behavior). These possibilities are investigated in this
research.
We make predictions that the level of past behavior will
change the nature of the relationship between attitude and intent at
low levels of past behavior, and between internal and external
control at high levels of past behavior. Thus, the purpose of study
one is to test the predicted moderating effects of past experience on
attitude and perceived internal and external control with respect to
behavioral intent.
Study One. In study one, hypothesis 1 was supported indicating that past behavior accounted for a significant amount of variance beyond the effects of attitude, subjective norm, external and
internal control. This is consistent with other research indicating the
explanatory power of past behavior within the framework of the
TPB. Further, it was shown that for participants with low levels of
past experience, attitude was predictive of intention while internal
and external control were not, in support of hypothesis 2. At higher
levels of past behavior, internal control and external control were
predictive of intention while attitude was not, in support of hypotheses 3 and 4. These findings support our theoretical model that past
behavior can have a moderating effect on the other variables within
the TPB. More importantly, we provide a framework for establishing the rationale as to why such moderating effects occur. Specifically, our framework suggests that those with lower levels of past
behavior are more likely to engage cognitive resources when
formulating a behavioral intent than those with higher levels of past
behavior and thus, when past behavior is low, attitude is the primary
driver of behavioral intent. Additionally, these findings support the
view that when past behavior is higher individuals are more likely
to utilize less cognitively demanding inputs such as perceived
control. Despite this support of the influence of past experience on
decision making within the TPB, further direct evidence is needed
to assess the boundary conditions under which past experience can
influence a consumer’s likelihood to engage cognitive resources to
assist in the deliberative processing of information. Study 2 seeks
to address this issue.
Study Two. In our conceptual model, different levels of past
behavior result in differential levels of cognitive processing. Thus,
study two examines the processes related to past behavior in an
experimental paradigm in which the extent of cognitive processing
of information is explicitly considered. We argue that when past
behavior is low, individuals will be more likely to engage cognitive
resources to access additional information to make up for their lack
of actual experience. Thus, we predicted that if low past-behavior
participants are likely to engage cognitive resources, they should
demonstrate discrimination between strong and weak message
arguments. Conversely, when past behavior is high, individuals
will be unlikely engage additional cognitive resources because of
the small gap between their perceived level of personal resources
and the threshold-level of personal resources believed to be necessary to form a behavioral intent. Thus, we predicted that if high pastbehavior participants are unmotivated to engage cognitive resources, they should demonstrate little discrimination between
strong and weak message arguments.
Findings in study 2 suggest that those in the low past-behavior
condition engaged in greater elaboration of the issue-relevant
arguments contained in the message than those in the high pastbehavior condition, as evidenced by their discrimination between
the argument quality of the message. That is, participants with low
levels of past behavior were more motivated to engage cognitive
resources to the processing of the issue-relevant components of the
message than those in the high past-behavior condition. These
findings are generally supportive of our theoretical model and more
specifically are supportive of hypotheses five and six.
These findings have important implications for both marketers and consumer educational interventions for the prevention of
debt. Our research demonstrates that, based on the nature of the
interactions, it would be useful for researchers to segment the target
population based on experience as suggested in past research (e.g.,
Beale & Manstead, 1991). For marketers, communications focusing on engaging cognitions of consumers may be quite effective for
inexperienced consumers since their attitudes are typically formed
through beliefs about the advantages of credit cards (e.g., build
credit history, precaution for emergencies, etc.) and reducing disadvantages (e.g., risk of future debt, damaged FICA score, etc.). Thus,
marketing campaigns could highlight these salient cognitions and
provide positive consequences that are likely to strengthen intention through a favorable attitude (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975).
Marketers could also target experienced consumers with communications about the ease with which products and services, such
as credit cards, can be acquired and the conveniences that they offer,
in order to increase the consumer’s external control. Also, for
experienced consumers, communicating information that builds
confidence in their ability to acquire a given product or service can
be effective. For example, increased perceptions of one’s ability to
select the best product might be based on past successes and
favorable outcomes associated with a particular brand.
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